announcer: here on c-span, we will take you live next to atlanta, georgia. we will hear from president trump. he and the first lady are taking part in the prescription drug abuse and heroin summit happening in atlanta.

it looks like the event is starting. live coverage here on c-span. >> please welcome congressman -- congressman hal rogers. [applause] rep. rogers: thank you. thank you. for the first time in the eight year history of this summit, we have the free world's most powerful couple joining the nation's largest gathering of professional community advocates -- professionals, community officials to save communities from addiction and beat back the tide of illegal drugs coming into this country. a great success, this eighth annual summit. fantastic. you people are terrific, and we

thank you so much. patrons for the success of this summit. what i want to recognize quickly the head of the d.c. operation, megan bell, the head of the kentucky operation, karen kelly, and the real backbone of this operation. those staff people stand so we can thank you for the work that you've done? [applause] rogers: president donald trump, first lady melania trump, are making history today by taking a stand together against the worst drug crisis in u.s. history, one that has resulted in more than 700,000 overdose deaths since the year 2000. 2017, president trump

declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, taking it one step past the cdc's designation as an epidemic. the president's declaration opened the eyes of so many more americans by pinpointing the public health perspective of this disease. for example, the skyrocketing needle related to z's's that have paralleled the epidemic, mainly -- related diseases that have paralleled the epidemic, mainly hepatitis c. it highlights the importance of safer prescribing and the need abuse formulas for powerful painkillers. last june, i was honored to meet with president trump in the white house about the importance

of adequate spending levels to address this crisis in stopping the flow of fentanyl from coming across our borders. u.s. customs and border protection seized enough fentanyl last year for every american to receive a lethal dose. every american. that is one of the reasons why president trump has been so adamant about controlling our borders. crisis, anajor drug emergency, primarily at our southern border. we cannot simply ignore it. for example, customs and border thanction has seized more 11 million pounds of drugs .utside the ports of entry crisis will spin

further out of control if we don't take bold action now. i was proud to work with president trump to get the the patient and as a bill over the summer. it is a comprehensive package that congress has passed to expand services for treatment and recovery. it included roughly 50 bills, including one that i have been very passionate about, the substance use disorder workforce loan repayment act, which offers student loan repayment of up to $250,000 for students who agreed to work as a substance use disorder treatment professional in the areas most in need. we getmperative that more treatment professionals in the field to address the

nation's public health crisis. not only has president trump advocated for a greater response across the board, but so has our first lady. as you know, every first lady takes on at least one major platform to help define her role as america's leading lady. i was so inspired by missus campaign toest raise awareness, particularly relating to neonatal abstinence syndrome. she has visited lily's place in west virginia and cincinnati's children's hospital to meet with the nurses who work tireless hours trying to comfort the infants fighting off the effects of their mothers' drug abuse. women of childbearing age are the fastest-growing demographic related to prescription drug 86% of presidencies

among opioid using women are unintended. tragically, 32,000 babies were born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, and 2004 -- syndrome in 2014. that is one baby every 15 minutes. it is five times more than the number born 10 years ago. trump trump has -- mrs. has rightfully focused her attention on education both for pregnant mothers and their children. if we can prevent abuse from ever starting, the next generation will be leaps and bounds ahead of this crisis. before we bring the first lady out, i want to let you in on a secret. it is her birthday friday. you may want to remember that. will you please join me as we welcome our first lady, melania trump. [applause]

mrs. trump: thank you, congressman rogers. it is an honor to be with you. today we come together to address an issue that is close to all of our hearts, saving americans from the disease of opioid addiction. before i begin, i want to thank members of law enforcement for all they do to protect us each day. [applause] each heroes,ou are and this administration will always honor your lifesaving work. in my role as first lady, much of my focus has been on addressing the terrible toll the

opioid epidemic is having on our children and young mothers. i have seen firsthand both the medical and personal results of this crisis. i have visited hospitals and treatment centers around the country. i have met with doctors, nurses, mothers, and children. we will continue to raise awareness of the dangers of opioids to unborn babies. we are also committed to supporting more treatment facilities that house both mothers -- that help both mothers and babies recover from the bond of addiction with a bond of love between the mother and her child. last year, i was grateful for the opportunity to send a video message to the children who attended operation unite's incredible summer camp. as i told them, i have launched an initiative to encourage young americans to be best.

one of the pillars of this initiative is addressing the opioid epidemic. i am proud of this administration's historic action to combat this crisis. together, we are making real progress to help people recover, to support families, and to heal our nation. my husband is here today because he cares deeply about what you are doing to help the millions of americans affected by the opioid epidemic. this afternoon, he has an important message to share. ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to introduce the president of the united states, donald j trump. applause]d

>> ♪ i'm proud to be an american where at least i know i'm free and i won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me and i'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today ain't no doubt i love this land ♪ bless the usa [applause] pres. trump: we love that song, but let's get going, right? i want to thank you all, and i want to thank melania. she works so hard. i will say that she is a hard worker, and has a profound commitment to building a drug-free future for america's children.

we are going to do it, too we are going to do it. made a lot of progress. [applause] pres. trump: today i am honored to join the thousands of leaders from across the country for the 2019 prescription drug abuse and heroin summit. very important. everyone here today is united by the same vital goal to liberate our fellow americans from the grip of drug addiction and to end the opioid crisis once and for all. [applause] pres. trump: it's happening. it's happening. it's happening. i want to recognize the founder of operation unite for his unwavering community service, for his incredible commitment, and to address this critical rogers, agressman hal friend of mine for a long time. i want to thank you very much,

hal, wherever you may be. [applause] pres. trump: good job. a very dedicated guy. we are also grateful to operation unite's president and ceo nancy hale. [applause] pres. trump: thank you, nancy. and thanks also to an outstanding public servant, a man who works day and night, no matter when i need him, he's there. i will call him at the strangest hours. , it isry alex lazar really great what you are doing -- alex azar, it is really great what you are doing. we will it reddick eight hiv-aids -- we will eradicate hiv-aids by 2030.

we are going to do it. [applause] pres. trump: i said that recently in a speech. we've made such incredible progress, and they didn't know what i was talking about. they couldn't believe it. they came up to me after the speech and said, do you mean it? that's right. we are going to have it eradicated by 2030. thank you very much, dr.. very important. also with us is the lieutenant governor of this great state, a friend of mine and a man who has worked so hard with brian. become a nation of jeff duncan and brian has been unbeatable. jeff, thank you very much. where are you, jeff? jeff? stand up, jeff. really great job. andy georgette hernia general, chris carr -- the georgia attorney general, chris carr. thank you very much. [applause] pres. trump: tough guy.

he is fighting for us, as well as numbers of congress. barry loudermilk and jodi heise. we have them all. we have them all. [applause] pres. trump: that is a pretty unbeatable group. we've been doing ok together, haven't we? to all of the people in this on theo serve every day frontiers and frontlines of this crisis, and a crisis it is, you have earned the gratitude of our entire nation. you may not even know it, but our nation loves you, and they love what you're doing. thank you very much. [applause] pres. trump: you are the first responders who bring patients back to life. you are the law enforcement officers who bring drug traffickers to justice. , andre the doctors, nurses counselors who give struggling citizens the hope and solace and

strength to build a brighter and brighter future. you are the families and faith communities who helped thousands of americans overcome addiction for a new life of freedom. my administration is deploying every resource at our disposal to empower you, to support you, and to fight right by your side, and that is what we are doing. we will not solve this epidemic --rnight, but we will stop there's just nothing going to stop us. i know some of the people in this room. nothing stops you. nothing stops you, i can tell you. we will never stop until our job is done. then maybe we will have to find something new, and i hope that is going to be soon. but we will succeed. we have results that are unbelievable. , two weekst i heard

ago, that i was shocked to hear. we are making tremendous progress. each year, more than 70,000 precious american lives are lost to the opioid and drug crisis. in my opinion, the number is much higher than that. to protect all americans, my administration declared the opioid epidemic a nationwide public health emergency. a big step. since then, we have secured a record $6 billion in new funding to combat the opioid crisis, and that is the most ever, and we are going for even bigger numbers this year. [applause] pres. trump: last year, we provided $90 million to prevent youth substance abuse, and i signed the support for patients and communities act, the largest

ever legislative effort to combat a single drug crisis in our nations history. it's the largest ever. following the recommendation of my surgeon general, and many the overdose reversing drug naloxone increased by over one million units. pretty amazing stuff. to expand access to treatment, recovery, and other crucial activities and services throughout our nation, we have given opioid response grants to states totaling a record $2 billion. we are now allowing states to use medicaid funds to pay for residential treatment facilities, and they are being built all over the country. in my first year in office, the number of patients receiving medication assisted treatment at

community health centers increased by 64%. no other president did that. no other president. we had no choice. we have no choice. [applause] pres. trump: we passed the crib act to expand treatment for mothers and their babies who are born physically dependent on opioids. for our nation's veterans, we are improving pain management with over 43,000 fewer veterans on opioids since january 2017. think of that. 43,000. [applause] pres. trump: and by the way, for the veterans, 45 years they've been trying to get it. as you know, just recently, i , where aterans choice veteran can go, and if the weight is going to be days or weeks or months, which it used

to be, they go out and see a private doctor. immediate care. [applause] pres. trump: we pay for it. we take care of it. it has been incredible. it is new, and it's been incredible the difference it's made. just months ago, i signed bipartisan criminal justice reform into law. [applause] among other could ago changes, the first step act provides addiction treatment to american prisons. i am pleased to report that in just four months, more than 16,000 inmates are participating in new drug treatment. [applause] pres. trump: and criminal justice reform, i have to say, people are getting out of prison. and since our founding, they

were having an impossible time getting a job. but because our economy is doing so well, perhaps the best it has ever been in our history -- best unemployment numbers in history, best everything -- because of this -- [applause] pres. trump: -- because of this, prisoners getting out are signing in, getting jobs, and i can tell you that those employers, because i speak to a lot of them, are thrilled. they had no idea. i am so proud of that. so the great economy has made it much easier. they get out, and then they have to prove themselves. they never got a chance to prove themselves. now they prove themselves, and they are doing a spectacular job. not all of them, but there is nothing all about any of us. but they are doing a spectacular job. i want to thank all of you, and i want to thank you, congressman, for helping me with that. you were very instrumental.

thank you very much. [applause] ofs. trump: the department labor is expanding federal efforts to help recovering americans find a great job in our soaring economy. we are lifting up all americans from all walks of life, including those who have been enduring the pain of addiction. they are getting a second and third and sometimes a fourth chance, and they are making it. they really have something to live for. some of them say we love getting up in the morning. we love going to work. we love our job. if they don't like the job -- all over the world they are talking about what happened with our economy. they have choice also. like the vets have choice. it's a choice of finding a different job you like better. big impact. last year, 73% of new jobs went to people who were out of the

workforce and are now coming back to work for the first time in many years. [applause] pres. trump: these newly employed citizens are joining 5.5 million more workers who have found jobs since the election, driving our national unemployment rate to its lowest and as you years, have heard me say it, african-american unemployment, lowest in the history of our country. asian american unemployment lowest in the history of our country. hispanic american unemployment lowest in the history of our country. people that graduate without a high school diploma -- it is a big group -- lowest in the history of our country. women, sorry, lowest in 61 years. but we will soon have the

record. we will soon have the record. we will have that record, too. we are all americans, all one family and we know we are the strongest when no one is left behind. my administration is committed to ensuring every citizen can live with dignity and purpose and proudly pursue the american dream. critical to this effort is my administration's support for faith-based initiatives. [applause] pres. trump: america is a nation that believes in the power prayer and the strength of fellowship. we believe in the grace of god. we are proud of it. [applause] here with us today

is dr. monte burks. 19 years ago, monty turned his life around when two women of prayer from his hometown church helped him to get on a path to recovery. tennessee'srks for -- what a great state -- department of mental health and is director of their faith-based recovery initiative. monty, please come up and tell us a little bit about your work. [applause] dr. burks: in awe, honored and humbled. the opposite of addiction is relationship. that simple equation is what helped me find my freedom. criminal justice intervention led me to treatment, which led me to recovery, which put me on this podium. i have been blessed to serve

under commissioner williams and commissioner vonning. they took a chance on a person touched by the system but they knew i had a purpose. my purpose was to use the pain i went through to help other people not have to go through the same thing i went through. recovery is real. we do recover. we do recover. [applause] dr. burks: to me the paradigm shifts with the faith community. our governor supports the faith-based community being the catalyst to change, to control the narrative, to explain how people in recovery can come back and be fruitful and change the paradigm themselves in their own communities. [applause] trust the employers faith community. we go back to work, not just for a job, but for a career so we

can lead as peers so those behind us crying in the wilderness will have a second chance to stand before a podium like this until you, yes, recovery is real. we do recover. [applause] secretary azor, thank you for your work with hhs and the office of faith-based. they spread the word in the message about faith-based recovery and treatment across the state. this is my pulpit and i have to say this. someone in a program hears me right now and says, i can because you did. i can because he did. that's right. yes, you can. look in the mirror. there is your miracle. i want to thank you, mr. president, for allowing me the space to stand beside you. i want to thank god and the first lady and your support of the recovery community. thank you. [applause]

pres. trump: that is great, monty. i had this beautiful speech written down on my iphone. he never looked at it once. that is a pretty good job. thank you very much, monty. fantastic. my administration has embarked on an unprecedented effort to shut down online criminal networks, crackdown on illegal international shipments, and stop the deadly flow of drugs into our country. in the past two years, customs and border protection seized met h and cocaine and heroin and fentanyl at the southern border. it's up 45% and going up much higher. we are seizing it all over. you probably saw the numbers today.

capturing,ining, call it anything you want, more people than ever before. some of those people are not people we want in our country and i will say border patrol has been incredible. it has never been march up that border like there is today, up throughout mexico. mexico is starting to detain and bring back to their country where they came from. a lot of it is drugs, and drugs are being gotten by us. we are stopping the drug flow as much as we can. soon we will have a wall, a very powerful wall. . it is under construction the media does not like talking about it. the media does not like talking about it, one of many things we are doing. when the wall is finished we will have almost 400 miles of wall built by the end of next year. we are probably ahead of schedule a little bit.

that will have a tremendous impact on drugs coming into our country. we have the finest equipment that you can buy. hundreds of millions of dollars of the best drug detection equipment you can have. i always say this because as good as that equipment is and it's genius, the greatest equipment in the world is a dog. , a certain type of german shepherd in particular. than $400better job million worth of equipment. can you believe that? holland the dog lovers would understand that. -- only the dog lovers wouldn't understand that. i said to the border patrol. they were giving me a rundown on the equipment, $500 million worth of equipment at the ports of entry. how does this compare to the great dogs i saw? they say, sir, honestly, the dogs are better.

i said you've got to be kidding and they showed me and it is incredible. we have a lot of dogs. we cherish them. 300 americansills a week. 90% of which enters our country through the southern border. everything to empower ourselves so we can keep this poison out of our communities and away from our children. you will see some very big differences in the coming months. we are capturing people you would not believe. if you remember when i announced that famous one when i came down -- i'm sure nobody saw this -- when i came down the escalator in millenia in her white dress. i made a strong dress. i was criticized. it is not that bad. that statement was peanuts compared to reality. peanuts. it was small time compared to reality. we are confronting reality and

confronting the great security and humanitarian crisis on the southern border. that is what i am declaring a national emergency, which is a -- which is exactly what it is. [applause] pres. trump: we have secured historic funding to strengthen border security, including the equipment, including the wall, including more border patrol agents, including many of the things you don't even have to know about and some of you don't want to know about. congress must also act to fix however our horrible, obsolete, weak, pathetic immigration laws. [applause] we could solve the entire problem -- i say 45 and its but it can go a lot quicker. just under 15 minutes.

if the democrats would agree to certain basic common sense things with respect to our laws. pressure isink this put on them and some of them do want to do the right thing. i have spoken to some recently and you might be surprised at what is going to happen but they see what is going on at the border. they are seeing the drugs and the human trafficking. the human trafficking is like never before in our history. it's happening all over the world. for us it is through the southern border. today we are grateful to be joined by virginia state police senior special agent, for -- tom murphy. he has seen as surge of cheap heroin being trafficked from mexico. which is now being laced with ultra lethal fentanyl.

tragically, a year and half ago special agent murphy's own sun died from an overdose of this kind of deadly drug. and it is deadly. murphy, america's heart breaks for you and the families who have suffered so needlessly. no other family should have to experience the pain and sorrow you have endured. would you please come up to say a few words, special agent? thank you. [applause] special agent murphy: thank you for this time and opportunity to speak. i was touched. i work for the state police in virginia for 31 years in the narcotics division.

years agoour seat for at the same conference. while i was here four years ago, my son was battling drug addiction. his story is one that is all too common today. depression,ith add, and was medicated at a young age. old, he 18 years started self-medicating with marijuana. at 18 years old he had to move out of the house because dad is a police officer and we can't do that at home. the day herthday, on turned 18, he moved out of our home. he would later tell me it was the worst decision he's made in his life. when he did so, about a year or two later, he had a work-related injury where he severed four fingers from his hand.

he was introduced to opioid's, which was my greatest fear. i would see him around town with my wife. you can see his physical decline. he had been arrested a couple of times for possession and distribution to continue his habit. 12 days before christmas -- [applause] decembergent murphy: 13, 2017, he passed away, of a heroin and fentanyl overdose. people talk about stigma associated with opioids heroin and drugs. there is a stigma and it needs to stop. [applause]

special agent murphy: if you want to think about stigma, think about a family that has been through it professionally and personally. my family has. that is only one family of 70,000 and 2017 who lost a loved one because of opioids and heroin. the stigma needs to stop. share your story. day.r two bracelets every on my right wrist is a purple bracelet to honor those who have fallen for drug overdose. it has his name on it and date of birth and date of death. on my left wrist i have two, a thin blue line, and another one that simply states, "every overdose is someone's child. don't judge. educate." [applause]

special agent murphy: that is why we are here and why you are here. collaborate, brainstorm, strategize to figure out this problem collectively. the message i would to convey today is don't judge. there are 70,000 different stories that happened in 2017. .ou heard my son's his name was matthew jason murphy. thank you. [applause] pres. trump: i think i can say

with a surety that your sun, your boy is looking down at you and very proud of his father. very, very proud. thank you. [applause] we are making great progress to stop fentanyl from coming into our communities. as a result of my negotiations china,esident xi of doing a very big trade deal. they announced next week they will implement new measures to prevent chinese fentanyl, which is most of it, almost all fentanyl comes from china, from being shipped to the united states. and -- [applause] furthermore, and i appreciate this from president xi, they will make a major crime. it is not a crime now. it is down as an industrial

drug. they will make it a crime and they are going to charge people with the highest level of crime. country, unlike in our the highest level of crime is very, very high. you pay the ultimate price. much.ppreciate that very since i signed the stop act in the law, our amazing customs and border protection servers have stopped over six times more packages from reaching american doorsteps. big deal. officerse in georgia, at the seaport in savannah recently discovered an estimated $19 million worth of cocaine and a shipment of colombian pineapples. today we are proud to be joined by two officers who helped find those deadly drugs, james long and derek nobles.

thank you both for your courageous work. where are you folks? come on up here. [applause] >> thank you, mr. president. thank you for having us here. thank you for all of your support. it has been a long road and we are glad to have the president behind us. glad to have you all behind us on the law enforcement site, and the community itself. you are the biggest help with finding this. it is like finding a needle in a haystack almost. thank you everyday for your support. [applause] pres. trump: thank you both very much. great job. so many incredible people i have met doing exactly what you are doing. the customs and border

protection officers, dea agents and state and local law enforcement that are here today, we love you, we support you and we are with you all the way. all the way. [applause] pres. trump: we had billions of dollars of military equipment which the previous administration was not willing to give up to law enforcement. i decided we will. great, strong, powerful equipment, safety equipment. we gave billions and billions of dollars throughout the united states to law enforcement. it has had a tremendous impact because, i don't know if it is for that reason. it is probably because of the great men and women involved. the numbers are way down in crime. thank you all very much. appreciate it. [applause]

administration is also taking aggressive action to reduce the oversupply of highly addictive prescription drugs. the department of justice has prosecuted more than 3000 defendants in cases involving opioids. earlier this week, the united states filed criminal charges against the six largest drug wholesaler for illicit distribution of opioids. [applause] because we are holding big pharma accountable. they should be accountable. [applause] i don't want their money. they gave to a lot of other campaigns. that is a problem. i could not care less. they have got to do what is right. doing a lot of things. we are working very strong on drug pricing.

it is coming way down. for the first time -- for the years, drugn 54 prices went down this year. they went down a little below even. that is a big thing. first time in 54 years. i give great credit to you, alex, you would your group of wonderful people. alex was a very successful executive at one of the biggest companies. he understood the system better than anybody. we are lucky to have him. he has done an incredible job. thank you very much. [applause] pres. trump: many drug companies are giving european countries a better deal than they give their own country. that has to stop. we have already informed them to stop it. we are making sure our great seniors on medicare will share in the discounts given to other

countries. you know what that means. [applause] pres. trump: the sophisticates out there, it's a big deal. it sounds like a big deal but it really is a big deal. at long last we are stopping the drug companies from foreign countries from rigging the system. i know all about rigging the system because i have the system rigged on me. i think you know what i'm talking about. [applause] unfortunately that will be your soundbite tonight. [laughter] pres. trump: the system was rigged. rigging the system against our great seniors. to help doctors and scientists develop non-did -- nonaddictive painkillers, we have nearly doubled funding for opioid and pain research. thank you very much, doctor.

gives away more money than any human being on earth. thank you. -- we couldrtant find that answer. that will solve most of the problem, i suspect. how close are we? [laughter] pres. trump: he is saying, ok. you get it. you will get it. pledged to cute nationwide opioid prescriptions by one third. office during my time in we have reduced the total amount of opioid prescribed by 34%. that is a pretty amazing number. pretty amazing. [applause] pres. trump: i am glad to report drug overdose deaths are down in the various states we pulled in ed and checked.ll

new hampshire, west virginia, iowa, ohio. they are very steeply down in three of those cases. an amazing achievement. when i campaigned in those states that was the biggest thing. nobody would think it unless you really involved -- unless you were really involved. our national prescription drug take back days have collected nearly 3.7 million pounds of prescription drugs. that is seven times the weight of air force one. a very nice airplane parked about 10 minutes away. a very big, big, heavy plane. seven times. the next drug take back date is this saturday. [applause] finally, we know one of the most important steps to ending the opioid crisis is to prevent young people from

ever using drugs in the first place. [applause] pres. trump: our massive public awareness campaign about the horrific suffering that drugs inflict has already reached 58% of young americans. where is kellyanne? kellyanne conway. she has done a great job. [applause] pres. trump: i keep saying, where are those ads? if you do it properly, and we have some great ones, great ads, young people look at these ads and they will not start. in many ways you don't see the results for four or five years, but in many ways it is one of the most important things we are doing. i think it is very important. when they look out and somebody comes to them and wants to sell them drugs and they start thinking about what they just saw on television or wherever they may have seen it, it will

be harder for them to make that sale and that's ok with me. [applause] pres. trump: i am very encouraged and my first year in office the national survey on drug use and health reported 100,000 fewer teens started abusing prescription painkillers. 100,000. here with us today is alex elswickm and his wonderful mom shelley. as a young adult alex overcame addiction and is now with his mom. they founded an organization to help families in crisis. alex and shelley, would you please come up and share your story. thank you. [applause] alex: good afternoon. i'm a personex and

in long-term recovery. [applause] alex: this is my mom and we are a family of long-term recovery. [applause] alex: i can tell you about how my addiction was groundhog day in hell, lived over and over again. we have heard enough of death and destruction for a few years now. i would like to tell you how grateful i am to be here and how grateful i am a get to work every day alongside my mom and withiend amanda doing work voices of hope to help people in recovery stay in recovery. i would like to say a big thank you to every single individual in this room who works tirelessly every day to improve the lives of people like me. monty said it best. we do recover and we recovered

together. thank you all for being voices of hope. [applause] pres. trump: thank you both. us,lex and shelley remind our greatest resource in the fight against drugs is the heart and the might, and the soul of the american people. we will prevail because of the courage, commitment, and compassion of heroes like all of you in this room today. you are incredible people. you are america's true source of strength, so let us resolve that together, we will support, cherish, and care for our fellow citizens through every step in

every challenge on the road to recovery. we will reach out to anyone who was hurting or lost or struggling because every american deserves to know the glory of hope, the joy of belonging, and the blessings of healing. we will stand proudly behind our devoted doctors and nurses who work so hard and they do so much. we will honor and celebrate the incredible men and women of law enforcement. thank you. we love our law enforcement. [applause] i do not know if you know it, but over the last two and a half years, law enforcement has become hot. they were having a little problem, right?

people are loving their law enforcement more than ever before because we respect you. at the highest level, we respect you. and the job you do is incredible. and dangerous. but it is incredible. we will strive to give every child a loving home and every home a thriving future. we will renew the bonds of family and faith that link us together as citizens, as patriots, and as americans. we will not let up. we will not give in. give upill never, ever on saving american lives. we will end this terrible menace. ofwill smash the grip addiction. we will make our cities a safe, our community strong, and our future is brighter than ever before. as one united nations, we will work, we will pray, and we will fight for the day that every family across our land can live

in a drug-free america. bless you, and god bless the united states of america. thank you, thank you. [applause] ♪ >> saturday night, president

trump is holding a campaign rally in green bay, wisconsin, skipping the annual white house correspondents dinner. tuesday, he instructed his administration to boycott the dinner. watch live coverage of the president's rally saturday, at 9:30, watch the correspondents dinner with --tured speaker ron sure ron shernall. >> president trump stopped to talk to reporters at the white house. he answered questions about the mueller reports, campaign 2020 and other issues.